Watering device for poultry and animals.



c. o. DRISCOLL. WATERING DEVICE FOR POULTRY AND ANIMALS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1912.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. DRISCOLL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOFREDERICK S. PARKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WATERING DEVICE FOR POULTRY AND ANIMALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

Application filed June 4, 1912. Serial No. 701,512.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. Daisoonri, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WateringDevices for Poultry and Animals; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a device in the nature of a watering fountainor tank adapted for use in portable, or shipping, poultry crates orcoops, stock-cars, or other inclosures for carrying fowls or live-stockduring transportation.

The invention has for one of its primary objects to support or suspendthe watering device or tank in the coop or inclosure, in such a mannerthat it will always tend to remain in its normal position, therebyeliminating liability of spilling the water in the tank in the tippingor swaying and anring of the coop or inclosure during transportation.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the watering deviceor tank that only a small amount of the water therein will be exposedand the same will be automatically self-supplying as the water isconsumed by the fowls or live-stock, while at the same time the coop orinclosure may be tipped or tilted, or even placed in an inverted orup-side-down position, without danger of spilling any material part ofthe water in the tank.

The invention consists of the matters hereinafter described and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention Figure 1 is afragmentary perspective view of a portable poultry crate or coop,showing a watering device constructed in accordance with my inventionmounted therein; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectionthrough the poultry coop and the watering device; Fig. 8 is a transversevertical section taken in a plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings illustrating my invention, the same is shownin connection with a portable poultry crate or coop A,

which may be of any preferred construction, but as shown in the drawingssaid coop A is made rectangular in form, having a floor or bottom a andthe top, side and end walls of the familiar open or slat-workconstruction, so as to permit the free circulation of air therethrough.Pivotally mounted within said coop A and horizon tally arranged abovethe floor (1 thereof is a water receptacle or tank B. As shown in thedrawings, said receptacle or tank B is cylindrical in form and of alength to extend the full length of the coop and is preferably locatedadjacent to and parallel with one of the side walls thereof. Saidreceptacle or tank B, as preferably constructed, has the form of anelongated cylinder, and is made of sheet metal; consisting of a tubularbody or cylindric wall I) closed at its ends by end walls 5 6 said endwalls being soldered or otherwise secured at their margins to the endsof the tubular part b. The said receptacle or tank P) is provided withan open upright tube 1) located centrally of the length of the same andextending from the top of the tubular body I) downwardly into theinterior of the receptacle, said tube D being secured at its upper endin an aperture or opening provided therefor in the top wall of saidtubular body. The upper end of said tube D is substantially flush withthe top wall of the tubular body 6 and is secured to the edge of theopening through which it extends. The lower end of said tube Dpreferably terminates near the lower part of the inner cylindrical wallof the tubular body 6. From the above it follows, that said upright tubeD has closed or air tight connection at its upper end with the top ofthe receptacle B and that the receptacle is entirely closed or airtight, except for the opening therein formed by the open tube D. Thewater within the cylindrical body I) may readily flow into the lower endof the tube D through the opening between the lower end of the same andthe bottom of the inner cylindrical wall of said body 6, as best shownin Fig. 2. Access by the fowls or other animals to the water within thetubular body I) is permitted through the tube D, into the lower part ofwhich a small quantity of water rises so far as permitted by atmosphericpressure. The re ceptacle B is provided in its top wall with one or morenormally closed air valves, as indicated by E, E. As shown, said airvalves E, E are located in the top of the tubular wall 6, near the endsof the receptacle and each embraces a short tube or nipple e, secured atits lower end to and projecting above the wall Z) together with aremovable screw cap 6 adapted to close the bore of the nipple, whichopens into the interior of the cylindric vessel B. A packing disk 6interposed between the upper end of the nipple e and cap 6, serves toprovide an air tight joint between the nipple and cap, as common in airvalves of this character. Said nipples e, e and the caps e, e therefor,constitute as a whole two normally closed air valves "for the receptacleor tank and which may be opened when desired to permit the escape of airfrom the receptacle.

F, F indicate metallic strips or plates constitdting supporting bracketsfor the receptacle l3. Said brackets F, F are secured to cross-braces orbars a, a attached to or supported by the end. walls of the coop. Saidbrackets F, F are located opposite each other and are each secured atone end to the said cross-braces a, a. The other or free ends f, f ofsaid brackets are offset laterally or spaced inwardly from saidcross-braces afl ah G, G indicate upright arms or lugs connected withthe end walls 6, Z) of the receptacle B andextending above the top wallof the same. As shown in the drawings, said arms G, G are made integralwith the end walls b, b of the receptacle (see Fig. 2). Said uprightarms G, G are connected at their outer or upper ends to the offset ends7 jof the brackets F, F by pivot pins H, H. By reason of theconstruction above described, the elongated cylindrical receptacle B ispivotally hung; at its ends within the coop A, and is permitted to swingabout a horizontal axis located above the center of gravity of the saidreceptacle. As shown in the drawings, the pivot pins H, H are located atequal distances above the top of the tubular wall 6, and by reason ofthis arrangement of said pins, the horizontal about which saidreceptacle B is allowed to swing, is parallel with the longitudinal axisof 'the receptacle. It will be noted that the pivot pins H, H are inhorizontal alinement with each other and are located above the "lowerend of the upright tube D a distance greater than half the length ofsaid tube. The arms or lugs G, G are pivoted inside of the offset endsof the brackets F, F, thereby permitting the receptacle B to swing or toturn completely about its pivots without sa'id arms striking saidbrackets.

hen in ose the watering device or tank B hangs within the coop or crateA, in the manner above described, and as clearly shown in the severalfigures of the drawings. This is its normal position. Water for fillingthe receptacle or tank B is poured into the same thrcugh the tube D; thecaps being partially unscrewed or removed 1.. the nipples c, e toallrivw the air confined within the receptacle or tank B to ape as waterenters. W hen the tank is filled the caps c, e are tightened or replaclhcrcafter by reason of the atmospressure on the surface of the water inare lower end of said tube D, the water can rise therein only aspermitted by the entrance of air to the receptacle, around or cl ieaththe lower edge of the tube, as the water is consumed and its surfacelowered in said tube. The tank B, being pivotally hung); or mounted inthe coop is permitted to swing or rotate upon a horizontal axis locatedabove the center of gravity of the tank. Said tank will thus always seekand remain in its normal position, with the tube D in an upright orvertical position.

By reason oi. this arrangement, the coop A may be tipped and tilted atany angle in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of thetank B, without danger of spillthe water therefrom. llloreover, the coopmay be tilted so as to incline the recep acle endwise, without theescape of any water, unless tipped or tilted to a great extent or unlessthe coop be placed with one of its ends downward. As the tank willalways be so mounted in the coop so as to extend noahwise of the same,the coop will never l'to be tipped endwise in the usual handling; of thesame far enough to permit any escape of water from the tank through thecentral tube D. Moreover, the tank B may be swung' into an inverted orupsidedown position, in rough handling of the coop, witl'iout spillingthe water therein, except perhaps the small. quantity at any time in thelower end of the tube D, because in this position, as the water seeksthe lowest point of the tank, the inner end of the tube D will be abovethe level of the water. Said tube D is supplied from the tank B onlywhen by the withdrawal or". water from the tube, air is permitted topass beneath the lower end of the said tube and displace a part of thewater in the tank. Bv reason of this construction, the tube 'l) isconstantly supplied with water as fast as it is consumed by the owls orother animals drinking the same.

With the receptacle or tank B pivotally mounted in the coop with itshorizontal axis located above its center of gravity, as above described,the coop may be set upon either one of its side walls or its top wall,said walls being parallel with the longitudinal axis of said tank,without liability of escape of any water from the tank, because undersuch circumstances the tank will, owing to the position of said axis andthe weight of the tank, assume its normal position with the tube Dvertical. It follows, therefore, that should the coop, when empty, andwith the tank still full, or partially full of Water, be placed with itsside or top wall resting on the ground, the tank will swing about itshorizontal axis and come into its normal position. From the above, it ismanifest that all danger of spilling of the water from the tank duringthe handling of the coop, even when the latter is empty, is eliminated.It is merely necessary to avoid standing the coop on one of its ends inorder to insure that no water will ever be spilled from the tank.

The tube D being located centrally of the length of the tank B, dividesthe tank into two compartments or chambers which communicate with eachother around the sides of the tube. In case the coop stands upon one ofits ends, the tank B will be in the same position, namely, standingendwise. The water in the tank will then seek the chamber at the lowerend of the same and only that quantity of water will be spilled from thetank through the tube D which the lower chamber cannot accommodate. Assoon as the coop is righted, the tank will automatically assume itsnormal position, and the water will immediately rise in the lower end ofthe upright tube D. By reason of the arrangement of the tube D as abovedescribed, not enough water discharged from the tank when the same isplaced in an cndwise position as to materially lessen the utilitythereof. As hereinbefore mentioned, the tank B may be swung into aninverted or upside-down position, without spilling the water therein,except the small quantity at any time in the lower end of the tube D.This plays an important part in the use of my device. Should the waterin the tube D become foul, it may be emptied by swinging the tank 13into an inverted position. As soon as the tank is released it willautomatically swing back into its normal position, namely, with the tubeD vertical, and the water will rise in the lower end of said tube. Byinverting the tank B several times, the tube D may be rinsed.

it is obvious, that by making my watering device of the proper orappropriate dimensions, it may be used in a stock-car. When applied tosuch use, the tank may be mounted in position with its longitudinal axistransverse to the car, so that in the sudden stoppage and starting ofthe same, the tank will swing on its pivots, so as to prevent the escapeof water through the central tube. A series of relatively short tanksmay, however, be arranged along the side of the car and in such case thetanks will swing laterally in the swaying of the car. If a long tankwere arranged lengthwise of the car the surging of the water lengthwisein the tank might result in the water being sometimes forced out throughthe central tube and for that reason it is preferred to use a pluralityof shorter receptacles when it is desired to locate watering devicesalong the side of a car.

I claim as my invention A watering fountain of the class described,comprising an elongated hollow tank, an open-ended tube arranged in anupright position in said tank intermediate the ends thereof, said tubehaving its upper end projecting through and in closed connection with.the top wall of the tank and its lower end terminating adjacent thebottom of the same; the lower end of the tube dipping into the watercontained in said tank when the latter is in normal position, said tankbeing closed at its ends and throughout its length, except for theopening into the same afforded by said tube, a normally closed air-valvein the top wall of said tank, lugs provided at the ends of said tank andprojecting above the top wall thereof, supporting members, and alinedpivot pins connecting said lugs with said supporting members; the tankbeing supported so as to be free to swing on a horizontal axis locatedabove its center of gravity and automatically right itself when swungout of its normal position.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature in the presence of two witnesses, this 1st day of June A. D.1912.

CHARLES C. DRISCOLL.

Witnesses:

FRED S. PARKE, EUGENE C. WANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

